This invention relates to a process involving the use of a pet food composition containing fermentable fibers to improve glucose metabolism, satiety, and nutrient absorption in companion animals such as, for example, dogs and cats.
Recent research has suggested that dietary fiber is important for its fermentation properties in the large intestine of dogs and cats. For example, Reinhart, U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,569, describes the addition of fermentable dietary fiber to a pet food composition for the purpose of maintaining normal gastrointestinal function and ameliorating chronic diarrhea in animals. Howard et al, FASEB J. (1996) 10:A257, teach that fermentable fiber consumption by dogs can result in the partition of waste nitrogen from the urine to the feces, increasing nitrogen excretion through the feces of the animal. Sunvold et al, J. Anim. Sci. (1995) 73:1099-1109, found that feeding moderately fermentable fibers to dogs could promote gastrointestinal tract health by optimizing short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in the intestines of the animals.
Certain animals, such as dogs, as well as humans, sometimes suffer from diabetes or have an impaired ability to regulate blood sugar levels. There are many causes of diabetes. Where diabetes or impaired blood glucose regulation has been diagnosed, medication and diet for the animal should be closely controlled. Currently, diets having high concentrations of nonfermentable fibers are used to treat diabetes. However, these nonfermentable fiber-containing diets often impair nutrient absorption by the animal, resulting in undesirable effects on the animal's health and well being.
Certain animals also may have a tendency towards excess caloric intake which increases the risk of the animal developing diabetes or other chronic diseases. It would be desirable to be able to manage caloric intake through dietary means so that the animal would become sated after meals, but without excessive caloric intake.
Other animals may have difficulty in digesting and absorbing nutrients from their diets. For example, animals which exhibit exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), a condition in which there is an insufficient secretion of enzymes by the pancreas, struggle to digest nutrients normally, especially fats, in their diets. It would be desirable to be able to improve such animals' nutrient absorption capabilities. Thus, there remains a need for additional dietary measures which will improve glucose metabolism, satiety, and nutrient absorption in companion animals without the adverse effects of diets containing nonfermentable fibers.